Villa Park Discovers New Source of Power

The Villa Park baseball team, ranked fifth in the Southland by The Times, hopes its recent power surge continues today when it travels to third-ranked Anaheim Canyon (9-2, 4-0 in league) for a much-anticipated Century League game.

The Spartans (8-1, 4-0) hit only 13 home runs all last season but have already matched that mark through nine games this season. Leading the way is Mark Trumbo and Nathan Bridges, who each have hit homers in three consecutive games.

Trumbo, a USC-bound pitcher who also plays third base and outfield, has four home runs, one more than he had last season. Bridges, a sophomore transfer from Orange Lutheran, has three.

Coach Scott Luke said the power increase can be traced to new hitting coach Robert Guzman, a former Cal State Fullerton outfielder.

“Last year, we didn’t have a hitting coach,” Luke said. “[Guzman] has a great approach, he really relates to the players well.”

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No clear-cut favorite is emerging in the Marmonte League after five games. Thousand Oaks, ranked No. 18, has won four consecutive league games to move into first place at 4-1. However, five other teams are on the Lancers’ heels with 3-2 records. Today, Thousand Oaks (9-2 overall) plays host to Calabasas (5-4-1, 1-4).

The Sunset League race has swung in the direction of surprising Huntington Beach. The Oilers are 4-0 in league after upsetting top-ranked Huntington Beach Marina, 4-3, on Wednesday, leaving the Vikings and three other league members with 2-2 records. Huntington Beach (7-4 overall) plays host to Huntington Beach Edison (6-4, 2-2) today.

-- Dan Arritt

Softball

For the second week in a row, four Southland teams are ranked in the top 10 in the nation, and for the second week in a row, two are likely to face each other.

In rankings released Thursday by the National Fastpitch Coaches Assn., Santa Ana Mater Dei is No. 5, Corona Santiago is No. 7, Norco is No. 9 and Garden Grove Pacifica is No. 10.

There is a good chance Norco and Pacifica will win their respective pools at the Santa Ana Foothill Roundtable Invitational and play each other at 3:15 p.m. Saturday at Hillview School.

Santiago defeated Norco, 1-0, on March 26, avenging an earlier loss to the Cougars.

Today, Santiago plays host to Mira Loma Jurupa Valley and Norco plays host to Corona Centennial in Mountain View League games, and Mater Dei plays host to La Puente Bishop Amat in a Serra League contest. In The Times’ Southland rankings, Santiago is No. 1, followed by Norco, Pacifica and Mater Dei.

-- Martin Henderson

Track and Field

Don’t expect the newest -- and ninth -- member of the City Section’s seven-foot high jump fraternity to compete in a slew of meets this season.

So says Los Angeles Fremont Coach Steve Lang about Pathfinder junior Danny Williams, who cleared a school record of 7 feet 1/4 inch in a Coliseum League meet against L.A. Locke and host L.A. Dorsey on Wednesday.

Williams, a 6-foot-3, All-City forward in basketball, added 3 1/4 inches to his previous best in the meet in which he broke the school record of 7-0 set by Johnny Washington in 1975 and tied by James Frazier in 1977. But Lang said he plans to bring the defending section champion along slowly this season.

“I don’t want him to jump too much,” said Lang, a 6-10 jumper for Fremont in 1967. “He’s still playing basketball a lot so I’m not going to push it. You’ve got to give his knees a break from time to time.”

Lang said Williams might jump in the California Relays at The Home Depot Center in Carson on April 10, but it’s more likely that his next competition will be a meet against L.A. Crenshaw and Locke six days later.

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Matt Contreras of Los Angeles Loyola, who cleared a state-leading 16 feet 2 inches in the pole vault in the Pasadena Games at Pasadena City College on Saturday, has committed to Duke.

Contreras is the defending Southern Section Division II champion and placed eighth in the state championships last year.

-- John Ortega

Cross-Country

Oriana Campbell of Ventura, the fourth-place finisher in the state Division I championships in November, has committed to Columbia.

Campbell, who led Ventura to its first state title, won the girls’ 3,200 meters in a career-best 11 minutes 4.73 seconds in the Meet of Champions Distance Classic track meet at Azusa Pacific on Saturday night.

-- John Ortega

Basketball

James Kim of Fullerton Sunny Hills, who helped the Lancers to the Southern Section Division II-AA championship and the Southern California Regional finals, leads the North in the 39th Orange County All-Star boys’ basketball game on April 17 at Orange Coast College.

The South is led by Jed Collins, who helped Mission Viejo win the Division I-A title. The North’s coach is Fullerton’s Bill Czech and the South’s is Jim Harris of Huntington Beach Ocean View.

Lauren Pederson and Carrie Noyes, who led Brea Olinda to the Division II-A girls’ title, will play for the North and Lauren Riley, who helped San Clemente win the Division I-A title, will play for the South in the 27th girls’ all-star game. The North will be coached by Garth Anderson of Garden Grove Pacifica and the South by Huntington Beach Edison’s Corey Kelly.

The girls’ game begins at 5 p.m., followed by the boys’ game at 7. Tickets are $10 for adults, $6 for students.

-- Bob Rohwer

Football

Mike Churchill, who coached Riverside Poly to a Southern Section large-school championship in 1984, has been named the first coach at Rialto Carter. Carter, nicknamed the Lions, will compete in the San Andreas League next season. Churchill was the offensive coordinator at Riverside College.

-- Martin Henderson